Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostles were the primary disciples of Jesus and the primary teachers of his gospel message. The apostles were the brothers Saint Peter and Andrew the Apostle, the brothers James, son of Alphaeus and Matthew the Apostle, the brothers James, son of Zebedee and John the Apostle, Judas Iscariot, Bartholomew the Apostle, Philip the Apostle, Simon the Zealot, Jude Thaddeus, and Thomas the Apostle. One of the apostles, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Jesus to the authorities in 29 AD, leading to his crucifixion; Judas later committed suicide out of remorse. His remaining apostles dispersed across the world and spread the Gospel to people in regions far and wide, stretching from Ethiopia and the Mediterranean world to the Caucasus, Parthia, and India. They became the founders of the Christian Church, and, in 120 AD, they composed a canon about Jesus' teachings, regulations for their church, and the travels of the Apostles, the New Testament. With the exception of John, all of the other Apostles died by martyrdom at the hands of the Roman Empire or other pagan nations.